


The Struggle For Coffee

by Phoenix_Fire_22



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt Darcy, ShieldShock - Freeform, Starcy - Freeform, Tony blows up his lab, concerned steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 08:55:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1892985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Fire_22/pseuds/Phoenix_Fire_22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All she wanted was to drink her coffee, but when Pepper asks her to bring something to Tony, an explosion in the lab ruins her plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Struggle For Coffee

 

“Hey, Steve!” Darcy said with a smile as she walked into the kitchen of the Stark Tower.  
  
“Morning, Darcy.” Steve said in return as he sat at the table reading the newspaper and eating a bowl of cereal. Darcy walked toward the counter turning on the coffee machine, taking out her iPod and placing the earphones in as she waited for the coffee to brew.  
  
She had only lived in the Stark Tower for a couple of months but she had quickly become accustomed to it. Despite the fact that all the other Avengers had been settled in, at first she was hesitant. New York City was vastly different than her home in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico after all, and she wasn’t quite sure how the group of assassins and superheroes would take to her presence. Jane had insisted she accompany her to New York and she knew she couldn’t turn it down. Not only because who else would be there to take care of Jane when she went on her science endeavors, but because who wouldn’t want to live with the Avengers.  
  
Dancing around to her music, because no one was going to keep her from dancing to her music, she took out her favorite coffee mug designed with cats and dogs and started to pour her now brewed coffee. After putting in just the right amount of cream and sugar, she turned on her heel only to stop short.  
  
“Coffee, for me? Thank you, Darcy. You’re too kind.” Clint said as he grabbed the cup from her hand smirking with an air of teasing arrogance.  
  
“Oh yes, of course that was for you.” Darcy rolled her eyes.  
  
“Barton, give Darcy back her coffee.” Steve said from his seat while still looking at the newspaper and though he tried to sound commanding, Darcy could hear the amused tone dripping from his words.  
  
“Hmm… Nope.” Clint smirked and walked out of the kitchen. Darcy huffed and crossed her arms as she heard a laugh from down the hallway. She was going to kill him. Well, not that she could seeing as how he was a trained assassin and she was just a lab assistant, and really, she was basically just Jane’s assistant.  
  
“Not a word, Rogers.” She said as she turned back around to see the amused smirk on his face. He held up his hands in mock surrender.  
  
“Don’t suppose you’d like a cup too while I’m at it, huh?” Darcy asked as she made her way back over to the coffee machine. Pulling out another mug not nearly as cool as her other one.  
  
“No, thank you. I’m headed down to the training room anyway.” Steve stood up and walked over to the sink to clean out his bowl. “Make sure you keep a better eye on your coffee there.” Darcy gaped at his words even though she knew he was joking.  
  
“Excuse me, you know damn well that birdbrain stole that from me! What am I going to do, fight an assassin for a cup of coffee? Ya know, not that he’d really try and fight me… or at least I hope not, because let me tell you-”  
  
“Darcy!” Steve cut her off, “It was a joke. Would you like me to avenge your coffee for you?” She glared at him, however, not in a serious manner.  
  
“Captain America, my coffee saving hero!” She threw the back of her hand against her forehead while fanning herself with the other. “Go train,” She said, dropping the act, “You’re looking a little out of shape there, Cap.” She poked at his bicep as he rolled his eyes at her.  
  
“See you later, Darcy.” Steve left the room as she turned back to try for Coffee #2 with a smile on her face. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy her interactions with the man. After collecting her coffee and a piece of toast, she sat at the table grabbing Steve’s abandoned newspaper and flipping to the comic section. Luckily for her, not that she hated her job or anything, Jane was out with Thor so she had a day off to relax and do as she pleased. Which honestly wouldn’t be much but relax. It was better than nothing though, she supposed. She had just started to lift the cup of her long awaited caffeinated beverage when the sound of heels clicked into the room against the tiled floor. She lifted her head to see Pepper Potts entering the room.  
  
“Darcy! Good, you’re here. Can you do me a favor and run these down to Tony?” Pepper asked.  
  
“Yeah, sure just-”  
  
“Great! Thank you! I’d do it myself but I have to go run down to accounting real quick. Just have him sign these,” She placed a file of papers in front of Darcy, “and then bring them to my office. I need to get them faxed as soon as possible. He’s in his lab working on his suits.” With that she turned and left the room.  
  
“Look’s like you’re gonna have to wait there, coffee. Better not get cold on me.” She mumbled to herself as she grabbed the papers and descended down the hall. She weaved her way through the hallway and down the two flights of stairs towards Tony’s lab. While the kitchen and apartments were on the top two floors, the labs were one level below and the training rooms on floor below that before the business levels started. She approached the glass door to see Tony and Bruce in what seemed like an argument while Tony worked on some hunk of metal, their backs to the door.  
  
“Watch my masterpiece in action.” Tony said as he flipped a switch.  
  
She had only made it half way to Tony and Bruce before a blast of heat forced her back against the wall. She was vaguely aware of the giant metal shelves and the roof raining down on top of her before she lost consciousness.  
  


* * *

 

  
“Tony you can’t turn that on in here!” Bruce yelled exasperatedly at the man.  
  
“The hell I can’t! This is my lab, my equipment, I know what I’m doing.” He said lightly jabbing Bruce with the screwdriver he held in his hand. He went back to tightening the last remaining screws.  
  
“Unless this doesn’t work, the engine in that thing is too powerful to test out in a space this small.” Tony was working on new engine thrusters for one of his new suits and he’d be damned if he was going to let the Jolly Green Giant over here try and tell him how to work on his own suits.  
  
“Banner, zip it. I’ll let you apologize later when you get over the awe of seeing my excellence at work.” He finished the last few touches, standing up from his hunched over position to admire his work. He placed his hand over the switch, “Watch my masterpiece in action.”  
  
He wasn’t quite sure what went wrong, but as soon as he flipped the switch the engine, though quite small, exploded quite largely. The piece shot forward while the blast sent Tony and Bruce into the adjacent wall.  
  
Luckily, the blast didn’t knock either of them out, but when Tony sat up to make sure Bruce was okay he could see the Hulk was trying to make a very unwanted appearance.  
  
“Woah, woah, Bruce calm down okay. Let’s get out of here.” Tony stood up helping Bruce to his feet. When they were both standing, Tony cautiously looked him over, “You good there, Banner?” After a few deep breaths, Bruce nodded.  
  
“Yeah, Yeah I’m good. He’s not coming out don’t worry.” Tony nodded, glancing around his lab. The sprinklers in the ceiling had activated, putting out the small fires the blast had caused.  
  
“Good, that’s- That’s good.” They ducked as a lighting fixture fell to the floor. “We need to get out of here.” They managed to climb their way over the debris with little effort aside from slipping on the water the sprinklers left behind from putting out the fire.  
  
The door and glass wall was shattered and when they finally made it into the hallway Steve, Clint, and Natasha were running around the corner.  
  
“What the hell happened?!” Natasha exclaimed taking in the damage of the room.  
  
“Are you guys alright?” Steve asked looking them over for any major injuries.  
  
“Yeah, yeah we’re fine.” Tony replied though they were still looking at the pair waiting for an answer as to what happened.  
  
“ _Mr. Stark, sir-_ ”  
  
“Not now, J.” Tony interrupted the AI.  
  
“ _But, sir-_ ” JARVIS tried to insist.  
  
“Don’t make me deactivate you. If you couldn’t tell the lab just blew up.” Tony said finally feeling the frustration of the situation.  
  
“Tony!” Pepper’s voice carried through the hallway, “Tony, oh my god, are you okay?!” She cried throwing her arms around him. He grunted as she hit what must have been a bruise before Bruce began talking.  
  
“Tony thought it would be a good idea to test out a new thruster for his suit in the lab. Apparently he’s not as good as he thought. The thing blew up as soon as he turned it on.”  
  
“Well, that‘s no surprise.” Clint said sarcastically. Tony glared at him while Natasha and Steve smirked in agreement.  Pepper pulled away to make sure Bruce was okay as well. When he nodded in confirmation she let out a breath of relief until she looked around her eyes becoming frantic.  
  
“Is everything okay, Ms. Potts?” Steve spoke up concerned seeing the woman looking around.  
  
“Where’s Darcy?” She asked looking around not seeing the girl anywhere nearby. It hadn’t been that long since she asked her to find Tony and she hadn’t passed her on her way over.  
  
“Lewis? How the hell should I know?” Tony rolled his eyes not knowing what his girlfriend was going on about.  
  
“ _As I was trying to tell you before Mr. Stark,_ ” JARVIS said, “ _Ms. Lewis had just entered your lab right before it blew. She’s still inside._ ”  
  
Everyone’s eyes widened as JARVIS spoke. Their hearts stopping in fear of the realization that Darcy had been in the lab and had clearly not made it out. Before anyone could recover from the shock, Steve pushed his way past Tony and into the now destroyed room.  
  
“Darcy!” He yelled, his voice laced with panic. “JARVIS, where is she?”  
  
“ _If I’m correct, Mr. Rogers, she’s under the pile of shelves to your right. I cannot get any readings on her vitals through the debris._ ”  
  
Steve ran over to the pile of broken metal shelving and everything that had been on it. Heart in his throat, he frantically began pulling at the debris. Even with the adrenaline and super-serum, lifting the debris didn’t seem to be as easy as it needed to be. Before he realized, Clint and Stark were at his side helping to find Darcy. Bruce had wanted to help, equally concerned for Darcy’s well-being, but due to the high-stress they couldn’t risk the Hulk making things worse. Natasha escorted him down the hall to the medical bay reminding him that he would be needed to check over Darcy once they freed her from what was left of Tony’s lab.  
  
“Darcy, can you hear me?” Steve yelled out as the three worked together to get her out of the debris.

* * *

  
  
She awoke with a start, the sound of metal grinding against metal making her head churn. She groaned trying to roll over in her bed ready to cover her head with her pillow until she realized she wasn’t able to turn over. A pressure on her legs became increasingly apparent. Her eyes shot open as she remembered what had happened and distantly heard her name being called until it became more clearer.  
  
“Darcy… damn it, can you hear me?!” She recognized it as Steve and when she tried to respond, nothing came out. Trying again with more force she managed to make her voice loud enough to carry through to them over all the noise.  
  
“ _Steve?_ Steve, I’m over here!” The sound stopped abruptly.  
  
“Darcy! We’re close, okay? Just hang on. Are you hurt?”  
  
“I don’t- I don’t know.” All she could feel was the pressure of everything on her, not quite able to decipher any pain as her heart raced. She really didn’t like being confined like this. She could hear them trying to talk to her and she knew she should answer but with the sound of blood rushing through her head accompanied with the sounds of them trying to get to her were too much for her to concentrate on what they were saying.  
  
Before she knew it, what seemed to be the largest piece that was covering her was lifted off her. She let out a shaky breath as her eyes met Steve’s before blinking at the harsh difference in lighting between nearly pitch black to what seemed to be one of the last remaining lights in the room.  
  
“What have I told you about playing around in my lab, Lewis?” Darcy rolled her eyes.  
  
“Maybe if you signed papers when you were supposed to, I’d be safe and sound upstairs away from your lab disasters.”  
  
“Well we can’t all be perfect, huh? Well, actually, I am pretty damn perfect…” Tony said.  
  
“Stark, shut the hell up. We need to get her out of here.” Steve demanded not wanting to waste another minute getting Darcy out and safe. Tony gave a subtle, yet sarcastic, salute and Darcy bit back a laugh despite the situation.  
  
“Alright looks like we just need to move whatever the hell this thing is-” Tony gasped, interrupting Clint.  
  
“That’s Dum-E! Show some respect!… My poor robot.”  
  
“Thanks, Stark. I can feel the love.” Tony shot her a look intending to be a glare but the guilt he was trying to hide came through.  
  
“Right, well we need to move that and then there’s just this metal piece across her legs… Why is it so damn heavy?” Clint asked.  
  
“I require only the best to hold my valuables.” Tony supplied. Together they worked to carefully remove the robot, not wanting to jar any of the other pieces and make things worse. After what seemed like forever to Darcy they were now down to the last bit of shelf squashing her legs.  
  
“Last piece, Darcy.” Steve said as he gave her a reassuring look.  
  
“Perfect. I’m sick of looking at Tony’s face.” She replied casually ignoring the look of mock offense Tony gave her.  
  
While there was still a mess of debris surrounding Darcy, they worked their way around so Tony and Clint each had one end of the shelf. Steve went around behind her to pull her out once they lifted the shelf.  
  
Steve gently propped her up, her back to his chest and he brought his arms around her waist ready to pull her away as soon as the metal was off of her legs.  
  
Despite being trapped under Tony’s mess, her current situation had a bright side as she felt Steve’s muscles against her back and waist.  
  
“Are you ready?” He asked in concern but also with a twinge of reassurance.  
  
“Yeah.” She said shakily. Steve gave a nod to the others. “On three.” Steve said and as he counted down Darcy braced herself to be pulled away. However as soon as they started lifting the piece off of her, the dull pressure was quickly replaced with sharp pain before they could even actually consider it being ‘lifted’.  
  
“ _Ah_! Stop! Stop, please!” Darcy cried out in pain. Tony and Clint stopped immediately however, they still made no move to lower it down any further either.  
  
“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” Steve asked hurriedly.  
  
“Damn it, that _hurts_.” Her eyes clenched with pain as she gripped the arm wrapped around her.  
  
“I know, I’m sorry, but we need to get you out of here, Okay?”  
  
“This is supposed to be my day off and I never even got a sip of my coffee.” She said to no one in particular, but glared at Clint who gave her a sheepish smile in return.  
  
“I’ll buy you all the coffee you want, but we’ve gotta do this. Pain or not, got it?” She looked back at Steve before returning her gaze to Clint and Tony.  
  
“You guys heard that, right? Because I’m not missing out on free coffee.” They nodded, “Okay….okay. Let’s do this.” Her demeanor immediately changed as she prepared herself for the impending pain. Without hesitation, they lifted the piece as Steve pulled her back until her legs were clear. As soon as she was out of the way, they lowered the piece down enough until they could let it drop back to the floor, the sound echoing through the room.  
  
“Darcy. Darcy, look at me.” She hadn’t realized she had her eyes closed until she heard Steve. Opening her eyes she met the Steve’s before looking down to see she was freed. With a sigh of relief she let her head fall back against Steve’s shoulder.  
  
“I’m never coming around Stark and his stupid equipment again.” She felt the rumble of Steve’s chest as he laughed from both Darcy’s words and the relief that she was no longer stuck under debris.  
  
“We should get you down to Banner. Have him check you over.” Clint said as Steve went to help her stand. As soon as she put weight on her right leg she buckled and the only reason she didn’t face plant was because Steve still had a hold on her. “We should definitely get you down to Banner.” Clint emphasized.  
  
She was about to reply when she noticed a glint of something next to her foot. Glancing down she recognized the broken and shattered object as what used to be her iPod. She gasped, “My iPod! Stark, you owe me a new one or so help you!” She pointed an angry finger in his direction as he held up his hands.  
  
Without a word, Steve pulled her arm around his shoulder before bending down to grab her from under the knees lifting her in one fluid motion while trying not to jostle her right leg. “Woah there, what a way to sweep a girl off her feet.” She joked, tightening her hold against his shoulders at the sudden change in position. Clint and Tony stood by to help Steve make his way around the fallen objects and to the door.  
  
Darcy noticed Pepper standing just outside the hallway, having been watching with an anxious look. It took her a moment before she remembered why she was down there in the first place. “Oh shit, Pepper I’m so sorry. The papers are…. I don’t even know where they are actually.” She said guiltily.  
  
“Oh god, don’t even worry about that! Are you okay?” Pepper asked unshed tears in her eyes as she felt guilt for sending Darcy down there in the first place.  
  
“Well, besides the leg, I’d say I’ve got it pretty good.” She winked, subtly managing to gesture to the fact that she was being carried by Captain America. Pepper laughed as Steve carried her down the hall towards the medical bay. “Sorry for interrupting your training.” She joked.  
  
“You’re forgiven. Lifting that debris can be considered weight lifting.” He teased as he smiled down at her as the automatic doors to the medical bay opened and Bruce stepped into view. Steve gently lowered her down on the bed and Bruce began to look her over. She flinched as he touched a cut on her head she wasn’t aware she had.  
  
“Ya know,” She looked at Steve who hadn’t moved from her side, “I’m still holding you to that promise of coffee.”  
  
“As soon as you’re out of here, Darcy.” He smirked.  
  
“That may have to wait a couple days,” Bruce said distractedly as he gently prodded her right leg, “Your legs broken. You’re going to have to keep it elevated for a few days.”  
  
“ _Fantastic_.” Darcy groaned, “I can’t wait.”  
  
“Rain-check, then?” Steve said has he grabbed her hand.  
  
“Rain-check.” She agreed. He nodded, about to leave to help clean up Tony’s lab. “Hey, Steve?” She said stopping him in his tracks, he turned to look at her questioningly. “Maybe instead of that offer to avenge my coffee from Clint, you could kick Stark’s ass?”  
  
Steve laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, “You’ve got it, Darcy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Good grief that was such a cheesy ending, but I can't end things to save my life haha. Hope someone out there liked it x.x


End file.
